Just as you would ask for proof that an airplane you are boarding is safe (the safety record of the airline) one should naturally demand proof that a book and the authority it is based on is provable and is worth following before you freely give up your own free will and autonomy. I would never get on a plane belonging to Somalian Airlines and I would never swallow the text of an outlandish story before exceptional and rigorous evidence was presented. You are doomed if you accept whatever people tell you. The more incredible the claim the stronger the evidence should be. The more you must give up in order to embrace the idea...the more exceptional and air tight the evidence should be.

What I don't understand is why you would ask this question. You couldn't have possibly thought you'd be pleased with the response? I wouldn't create a profile on a religious website, but I suppose atheists don't impose their opinions on others.

Personally, I think Mercedes is quite likely a sweet kid, she can't help the way she was raised, any more than she can help trusting the beliefs of those who raised her - weren't most of us there once?

We were much kinder and more tolerant toward Belle Rose/Sarah/Jessica, when she first came here, and I'm sure she will agree with that. Let's give Mercedes a chance to learn from us, rather than turn her off with our criticism.